Leeu House in South Africa Now Accepting Reservations

leeu houseWine lovers take note: Leeu House, a new boutique property in the winelands of South Africa, just started accepting reservations ahead of the hotel's December 1 opening. 

The new hotel is part of Leeu Collection, a new luxury hotel brand created by founder Analjit Singh, and is the first of two new boutique getaways set to open in the area. The other, Leeu Estates, is scheduled for a 2016 opening. 

Leeu House is a 12 key guesthouse in the village of Franschhoek. Six of the rooms open to private gardens, terrace courtyards or balconies. Guests there can enjoy a complimentary tasting of Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, use of bicycles and a 50-foot heated outdoor pool. Plus, the hotel is a short walk to restaurants, art galleries and boutiques in the village. 

Leeu Estates has 21 rooms in a 19th century manor house set among 170 acres of vineyards, complete with a Wine Studio by Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines. The property is also home to Leeu Spa and four spacious cottages. The Manor House’s Living Room offers a complimentary bar stocked with wines and local Cape Town brews and spirits, while The Reading Room has an assortment of reading material, afternoon tea and backgammon sets. 

Guests of both Leeu House and Leeu Estates can enjoy cuisine prepared by resident Chef Oliver Cattermole’s culinary team, which focuses on organic and ethically farmed ingredients. 

In The Wine Studio, located at Leeu Estates, visitors can taste handcrafted premium varietals from Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines. This award-winning collection, which has received 11 five-star ratings from Platter’s South African Wine Guide, is made by winemakers Chris and Andrea Mullineux in Kasteel, the Swartland wine region north of Cape Town, and at Leeu Estates.

Designed by Spanish architect Tomeu Esteva of Esteva i Esteva Arquitectura, the Leeu Spa is an Asian inspired wellness sanctuary offering a variety of holistic treatments. A 50-foot heated infinity swimming pool and TechnoGym exercise facility, as well as personal training and yoga, offer options for fitness buffs. Walkers, joggers and cyclists can enjoy the extensive network of trails that crisscross the rolling estate, Dassenberg mountains and banks of the Franschhoek river.